Question for gardeners

[wannabe-stache]

I have some mature scotch bonnet pepper plants in nice big ceramic pots.  They are still producing but the peppers aren't turning bright yellow anymore (they stay green) and they aren't as spicy.

I would have to imagine that the plants are root bound by now.

How do I revitalize the soil and or the plant?  I have added compost but it seems like a more thorough overhaul of the soil would be more appropriate.

Thanks in advance!

[Cranky]

Where are you?

[wannabe-stache]

Where are you?

Florida

[Cranky]

Okay, so you can reasonably expect them to produce through the winter, though they probably won't be true perennials. I'd take them out of the pots and put some new dirt in, give them a good shake and put them back into the pot. Then I'd break out some Miracle Gro, and see if they improve. They may just be sensitive to the change in the length of day, and they may have just hit old age, but it doesn't cost anything to try.

[wannabe-stache]

Okay, so you can reasonably expect them to produce through the winter, though they probably won't be true perennials. I'd take them out of the pots and put some new dirt in, give them a good shake and put them back into the pot. Then I'd break out some Miracle Gro, and see if they improve. They may just be sensitive to the change in the length of day, and they may have just hit old age, but it doesn't cost anything to try.

Thanks!

[the_hobbitish]

I'd also try a good tomato/pepper feed once a week while they're producing. Peppers are heavy feeders. You should be able to find something specific to tomatoes/peppers in most garden stores. You don't want a lot of nitrogen, which would give you lots of leaves but not a lot of fruit.

[Goldielocks]

I don't know about pepper heat, but fruit needs a minimum level of solar energy to become the sweetest possible, which is why northern areas don't produce dried fruit (not as sweet as CA). 

It could be true for heat in peppers as well.  You may need to add a fruiting grow light in winter.  There are many affordable LED ones on the market.

[MissPeach]

I switched most of my plants to the fabric pots which helped the roots a lot. But many of mine are not getting enough sun and heat right now. I am in CA and had great success with the plants over the summer.

[windytrail]

It is completely normal for the winter peppers to be less hot than the summer ones. It does not mean that your plant is unhealthy.

What kind of compost are you using? Homemade compost is by far superior to anything you can buy at the store (https://www.planetnatural.com/best-compost/). Do you have the space to compost at home?

For container gardening many people use a compost tea to add nutrients (https://oldworldgardenfarms.com/2020/05/21/use-compost-tea/). With containers you are limited in the amount of solid organic material you can add, but liquid nutrient additions are unlimited.

Another great option, which also works for apartment-dwellers who have no yard space, is vermicomposting. The worms will great an extremely nutrient dense compost, which you can use to create a liquid fertilizer ("worm tea")(https://unclejimswormfarm.com/a-simple-way-to-make-and-use-worm-tea/).